Barnsley will tomorrow hope to become the first side to score from open play against Preston North End in the Championship under ex-Red Alex Neil.

The Lilywhites – who host Barnsley from 3pm – have the best defensive record in the EFL this season with just one goal conceded in five matches so far. But they have only scored two, with one a penalty, which is the worst goals record.

Neil played 132 games for Barnsley between 2000 and 2004, scoring four goals including one in a 2-2 draw at Preston in November 2001, which was the only time he ever faced North End as a player.

The 36-year-old joined Preston this summer after being sacked by Norwich City earlier this year having taken the Canaries to the Premier League in 2015.

Preston have won their previous two home league games this season, both 1-0, against last year's play-off semi-finalists Reading and Sheffield Wednesday.

Their away games have brought goalless draws at Leeds United and Middlesbrough as well as a 1-0 loss at Derby County whose winner came from a penalty by Matej Vydra.As well as Neil, the Reds are likely to come up against another of their former central midfielders in Ben Pearson who missed Preston's only defeat through suspension after being sent off in Leeds but has started all the other league games.

Barnsley head coach Paul Heckingbottom said: "Preston have started really well. Alex is working hard to get them passing the ball well. Preston is a really tough place to go every season but probably even more so now they have got Alex in charge and with the start they have made. Their stand-out quality is their energy and intensity. It should be a good game and I wouldn't expect a 0-0."

After only winning two of their first 18 games in Preston, Barnsley have won six of their last ten including a 2-1 victory a year ago on Sunday when Adam Armstrong came off the bench to score a spectacular debut winner. Just like last season, the Reds go to Deepdale at the end of a two-week international break, this time following two wins and three losses from their first five league games.

Heckingbottom said: "In the first week of the break, we gave the players' minds a week and didn't focus much on tactics.It was more specific work to improve them in their positions and working on anything they wanted us to work on with them. Most of them are adapting to the Championship for the first time and they are learning all the time so it has been nice to have that time with them to work on anything they have been struggling with or wanting to improve on. Then in the second week we took the intensity up a notch and started really preparing for the Preston game."

Zeki Fryers and Cameron McGeehan have both fully recovered from their injuries and are trying to force their way into the matchday squad.Lloyd Isgrove and Dimitri Cavare are still completing their rehabilitation processes and are at least a week away from returning to first team training. Captain Angus MacDonald is suspended.